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Monday, January 21, 2013

With One Meatball

When I was growing up, my mother would occasionally make meatballs and cabbage. It was never my favorite dish -- I prefer my cabbage raw -- yet I made it for my own family as they grew up. It's a simple dish of porcupine-style, rice-studded meatballs, stewed with cabbage and tomatoes.

The most appealing thing about this meal growing up was it would usually prompt my dad to sing a few bars of One Meatball, a Depression era tune recorded by The Andrews Sisters among others. Of course, I never heard a "real" version of the song until the internet came along. In fact, I wasn't even sure there was a real version. And frankly, no one else sings it like my dad. Every time I eat this dish, I hear him warbling "You don't get any bread with one meatball."

Dad isn't much of a singer, but he did have one other signature song. As with One Meatball, my dad only sang the "good part" of his other song, Jack of Diamonds. Here is the part I learned as a wee little child.

"If the ocean was whiskey, and I was a duck/I'd dive to the bottom and never come up."

This was followed by a loud hiccup. I love the complete political incorrectness of teaching that song to little kids. By the way, my father is the next thing to a teetotaler, so it's especially funny that this is "his song."

Just as I've shared the meatball cabbage meal with my family, I also passed my father's two songs along to my kids. I hope they'll remember to sing them to their kids someday too.

That's a great story. We lived in the mountains-in the country. When "PIZZA" became so talked about my mother decided to give it a try. It was called PIZZA pie- so she used a PIE crust and a PIE pan and made PIZZA pie. My father said he did not understand what all the fuss was about and he would just as soon have his regular chicken and biscuits. I think I was 16 when I had my first real piece of pizza. lol Your story made me think of it- xo Diana

My husband has imparted many rhymes he learn from his grandfather to our girls and is now teaching SOME of them to our grandson, the more unsuitable will be taught at a later date. Meatball dish looks good, just right a cold day

It looks like a great winter meal to me! It reminds me of those meals you'd get at grandma's (back when she was young enough to move around the kitchen!) with stewed tomatos, cabbage or sourkraut, and various heavy, hardy meats;)

I love how a meal and a song - something small like that - can bring back fond memories of the past, and perhaps a smile or two! I don't really like cabbage, but the meatball sure looks tasty. And your story reminds me that my dad wasn't much of a singer either, but that never stopped him from belting out a tune every now and then for smiles. =0)~Kimhttp://2justByou.blogspot.com

What a lovely memory of your Father. My Dad used to sing "YO HO HO and a bottom of rum....fifty men on a dead man's chest....! LOL! And also "Casey Would Waltz with a Strawberry Blong" Thanks for bringing back such fond memories.

It's so funny how little things like a meatball can trigger such sentimental and meaningful memories. I have to admit I never heard of that song before! When I make my son spaghetti and meatballs I always sing On top of spaghetti :)

Funny story aand great memories! My husband used to sing Last Kiss when our girls were little and they thought he was making up the song. Boy were they surprised when Pearl Jam did a remake of the song in the 90's!

About Me

I'm a Southern girl who moved to the Midwest and never left. I like to read, cook, knit, and garden. I compost. I live in a circa 1902 house, painted the color of sunshine. I like old movies, most kinds of music, and NPR. I have a terrific family and a goofy golden retriever named Alfie.